


Unexpected Meetings

by A_Random_NPC



Series: Love and Honor [5]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Alternate Universe - World of Warcraft Fusion, Azeroth, Booty Bay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23791939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Random_NPC/pseuds/A_Random_NPC
Summary: A moment in Rupurt Davenport's childhood where he meets one of the men who made him who he is today.2/15/2021 - small edits have been made to reflect changes in the backstory of Tyrvalin Duskmourn.
Series: Love and Honor [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168667
Kudos: 5





	Unexpected Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written in collaboration with Vaethryn based on a headcanon of our OCs we had together. Thank you so much for allowing me to borrow Tyr and having him be a part of Rupurt's life! He is the favorite uncle, after all!
> 
> Tyr belongs to Vaethryn. You can find examples of her work and art of Tyr himself at: https://twitter.com/vaethryn
> 
> Tyr: https://twitter.com/vaethryn/status/1236033951925325824

Rupurt and Tansy wrestled one another to poke their heads eagerly out of the galley porthole, their eyes fixed on the rapidly approaching port of Booty Bay. Tansy elbowed her younger brother sharply, making him squeak and drop back, giving her an unimpeded view of the dock. Shouts above deck told the pair that the crew were furling the sails and standing by to heave mooring lines over to the waiting hands standing idly on the dock. 

“No fair Tansy, let me see!” Rupurt cried, rubbing his side. She stuck her tongue out at him, and scoffed when he glared back at her. 

“You’ll get your turn, pipsqueak.” She said loftily, sticking her nose out of the porthole and giving the wind a sniff. The air was thick with humidity, but smelled deliciously of the sea and tropical plants. “They have to let us off the Bear this time, Rupurt. They just have to!” Rupurt nodded, scrambling up onto the crate Tansy was using to peer outside. 

“We’ve been behaving,” he said hopefully. Tansy sighed and dropped down next to him, letting him scramble up to take her place. “I didn’t even swipe Bo'sun’s sweet cakes this week, and I helped Sails with the mending.” He stuck his head out the window, shoving Tansy aside. Tansy giggled when he lost his balance when a wave suddenly slapped the ship, but steadied him nonetheless. Though she was loathe to admit it, she wa beginning to like her scrappy adopted brother. It had only been two years since he had joined their small family, and it already felt like he'd been with them forever.

“Aye, and I did all my chores in Captain’s quarters right quick.” Rupurt dropped down beside her, so she gave one of his ears a flick. He yelped and reached out to yank her tail, making her squeak. This started a small scuffle that was just getting good when one of their fathers, a large Pandaren, entered the galley and sighed, covering his face with one massive hand.

“Children,” he said wearily, reaching for a bucket of water, “Stop that, you’ll make a mess of things here.” Tansy immediately let go of Rupurt’s ear, which she had been twisting, and Rupurt dropped her tail, which he had been pulling, with a guilty look. They stood at attention, giving their father a salute. Huise Swiftpaw suppressed a chuckle at the serious faces of his two children, and gave them a crisp salute back. 

“Ready and willin’ to help unload the cargo hold, sir!” Tansy barked. Rupurt nodded eagerly, bouncing on the tips of his toes. Huise sighed, wishing Varil wasn’t busy with mooring lines. Booty Bay was no place for children, he thought to himself, and not for the last time. He and Varil had done what they could to shield the pair from the more nefarious dealings the Captain partook in on the side, but as the children began to grow, it was more difficult to keep them innocent. They still had several years left in the contract that held them bound to Captain Davenport and the Bellowing Bear, but Huise couldn't help but count down the days until they could turn their backs on the Kul Tiran and his smuggling operation posing as a legitimate business.

“You both know that is out of the question.” He said dismissively, reaching for his cleaver and sharpening stones. When the children began to protest, he cut them off by splashing them both with droplets of water from the water barrel with a flick of power, silencing them. “Booty Bay is a dangerous port. It is nothing like the other ports we pull into. You are not safe here.” He began sharpening his cleaver, and chuckled. “Besides, neither of you are big enough to carry those crates yet.” 

“We can carry them between the two of us!” Rupurt cried, puffing up his chest. Tansy nodded vigorously. Huise was amused to see his quarrelsome children in agreement for once, but sighed. 

“Tansy, bring me the flour and salt. Rupurt, milk and oil. We’ll make some frycakes for the crew while we wait for things to settle down.” The children sprang into action, eager to make some of the crispy bread with their father. Huise glanced up and saw one of the small air elementals that seemed to follow him everywhere and offered a hand to it. It whirled around his hand and arm, ruffling his fur as he brought it closer to his face. 

“Old friend, would you grant me a boon?” He asked quietly while his children wrestled loudly in the larder. “Would you please keep an eye on my children, to ensure that they behave?” The air elemental considered, then signed its assent. Huise thanked it and watched as the small breeze whipped its way around the galley to settle near the open porthole. The breeze was one of his faithful companions while underway. He smiled at the small fire elemental playing in the embers as he fed more wood into the iron stove. A tiny water elemental frolicked in the water barrel, giggling to itself after being allowed to splash the children. Huise smiled at his tiny friends, happy and yet slightly regretful that neither of his children showed signs of following in his own footsteps. Tansy was a scrappy fighter even at her young age, though Rupurt was showing flashes of druidic magics. Varil was pleased beyond reckoning at that development, he thought as he secured a cast iron skillet to the stove and added oil to it.

Tansy and Rupurt appeared, covered in a faint dusting of flour. Huise sighed, thinking of the mess that was sure to be in the larder, and gestured to them to start mixing up the dough. He watched them clumsily start weighing and measuring and smiled. Though his children were trouble, he wouldn’t trade his small family for all the riches of Azeroth.

\----------

Raucous laughter echoed across the bay from the taverns and bustling docks. Tansy crouched beside her brother, watching the torchlight flicker on the calm water. She counted slowly under her breath, watching the sentries make their circuits around the deck and dock. 

“...Twenty-nine, thirty!” She smiled with satisfaction as the sentries crossed paths again, light flickering on the edges of their weapons. “Alright Rupurt, this is it! When I signal, run as quick and quiet as you can!” Rupurt nodded eagerly, waiting for her signal. She counted slowly to fifteen in her head, then whispered loudly, “Go, go, go!” 

Both children broke free of their cover, sprinting towards the dock right as both sentries had their backs turned at the apex of their watch. Tansy made a mental note to tell the watch captains about that discrepancy later, but for now enjoyed her break towards freedom. The pair pounded down the dock, giggling madly as soon as they blended in with the crowd. Both of their fathers were ashore, restocking the ship with the rest of the crew. They had put the children to bed, watching them drift off to a feigned sleep before heading out. Booty Bay did most of its business at night, so they thought it safe to leave the children unattended. 

Tansy grabbed Rupurt’s hand, yanking him out of the way of a nasty looking pair of goblins who growled at them. Rupurt tripped over his feet, knocking her off balance. She bumped into a pylon with a soft cry, but steadied herself and her brother quickly. A small trickle of liquid dripped down the back of her neck, making her leap away with disgust, swiping at it. She sniffed her fingers and grimaced at the scent of alcohol as Rupurt fumbled for a scrap of rag from his pocket and offered it to her. She looked up and met the eye of an elf staring at her, the front of his shirt covered with alcohol. She cowered slightly at the sight of his eyepatch, but was relieved to see he wasn’t reaching for the knives on his belt. A real life pirate! She thought giddily to herself as she felt her brother mopping the beer from her fur. I can’t believe it!

“Mind your step, kid,” he said gruffly, his face impassive as he wiped the dregs of his beer off his shirt. “Not everyone here’s as friendly… Or forgiving, as me.” With that statement, he jumped down from his perch and walked off, muttering something about finding more alcohol. Tansy shook herself and batted away Rupurt’s hands where he was trying to help clean the beer off of her.

“Stop that! Let’s go find some food and get back to the ship!” Rupurt nodded, looking around. He tugged her sleeve, pointing towards a bustling tavern. The Salty Sailor Tavern seemed to be the busiest place in the whole port. Tansy watched as a redheaded elf carrying a lute sauntered in to the tavern, and grinned with satisfaction. Busy enough that folks wouldn't notice a pair of kids sneaking in or food going missing was good.

“There! We can probably sneak in the back there, Tansy!” Rupurt had an uncanny ability to pick good taverns for them to swipe food from, though she would never admit it to him. She nodded, pulling him through the crowd by the hand. Several people gave them odd looks, unaccustomed to seeing children on the docks at night. Rupurt stumbled a few times, making Tansy sigh with impatience, but soon they were sneaking into the tavern, using the crowd to hide themselves.

Rupurt looked around the busy common room, hissing to her when he saw a few of the crew of the Bellowing Bear roaring along to a sea shanty in the corner. The redheaded elf she had seen earlier sat a corner, tuning her lute, tapping her toes in time with the shanty. Tansy ducked, hiding under a table before they could see them, and began crawling towards the kitchen. She and Rupurt grinned at each other when the scent of roasting meat and pastry reached their noses. A grumpy looking goblin burst through the door carrying a loaded platter. He was met with roars of approval as he made his way towards the corner where the crew sat.

Seeing the kitchen was empty of other people through the open doorway, Rupurt darted towards their goal with Tansy hot on his heels. They slipped through the door before it could swing shut and grinned with delight at one another before spreading out to steal. Rupurt pulled out a belt knife and a bit of waxed sail he had swiped from the boat and began carving meat off a haunch roasting on the hearth. Tansy began purloining several biscuits cooling on the counter, shoving one of them in her mouth before rounding the corner to the door of the larder. Rupurt tossed a few potatoes and roasted vegetables into his cloth and tied it off into a neat parcel, meeting with her to go plunder the other small room. The pair opened the door recklessly, giggling to one another only to be met with the business end of a knife pointed straight at their faces.

\---------

Tyr was having a bad night. After several unsuccessful attempts at pilfering liquor from several taverns, he had given up and paid for a jack of ale. He had just sat down to enjoy his brew when two children came barreling out of nowhere, making him spill it everywhere. Had anyone else run into him, he would have started slitting throats, but the terrified look the small cub had given him had calmed him immediately. He had smiled to himself at the sight of a little boy swiping at the ale that had spilled down her back with a bit of cloth. 

Part of him had argued that he should try to help them, but with the run of bad luck he’d had that day, he decided against it, instead choosing to go clean up and try to steal some more liquor.

And now, those two kids had caught him in the act of pouring himself several drinks into a wine skin. At the stricken look the two of them gave him, he realized he had pulled a knife without thinking, and slowly lowered it back to his belt.

“Ah, sorry about that,” he said, sheathing it, “Old habits and all.”

“You!” The small Pandaren girl, her face covered in crumbs, cried. “What are you doing here, you… Pirate!” The boy clutched a bulging bundle to his chest. Tyr could see grease starting to seep through the cloth and raised an eyebrow.

“Could ask the two of you the same thing, but… Thieves typically don’t ask other thieves their business.” He twisted the tap on the barrel he had been emptying into his wine skin and capped it. From the blush the boy had on his face, Tyr had guessed their business correctly. He grinned and swiped a biscuit from the cub’s hands, ignoring her cry of outrage. “What say you we get ourselves out of here before yon tavernkeep comes back, eh?” 

“Why should be trust you, pirate?” She demanded. The boy nodded, clearly the shyer of the two. Tyr noticed that he held a small belt knife in a shaking hand, though it was impeded by the sack of food he carried. He sighed, crossing his arms, staring at the pair.

“Look, kiddo, you’ve got a couple of choices here. One, follow me out of here and make off with the loot. Two, sit here and argue, and probably get caught. Three, raise a fuss, and definitely get caught. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on cooling my heels in a jail cell anytime soon, so how about we make our way out of here before things go sideways?” The little boy whispered in the Pandaren’s ear, loud enough for Tyr to hear him.

“Tansy, let’s go! We got what we wanted, now let’s get back to the Bear before Father and Da get back!” Tansy cuffed him, losing hold of a biscuit. Tyr covered his mouth to hide his smile as she hissed back, 

“Shut up, Rupurt! Fine, let’s go.” She scowled up at Tyr and said haughtily, “Alright, lead on pirate. We’ll trust you… For now.” Tyr nodded soberly and gestured for them to get behind him so he could listen at the door. After several moments, he slowly opened the door a crack and peeked out, listening towards the tap room. He opened the door fully and gestured for the kids to follow him, heading towards an open window at the back of the kitchen that let cool air into the hot enclosure. He boosted the Pandaren through the window, whispering to her that the drop was only a short distance and she could manage it herself. She nodded and disappeared over the ledge. He had just begun to lift the small boy through the window when the sound of the taproom suddenly increased. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the tavernkeep standing in the doorway, his face twisted in rage.

“Hey!” The goblin bellowed, “Stop! Thief!”

“Time to run, little one,” Tyr said, shoving the boy through the window and leaping through it himself just as the tavernkeep lobbed a handful of knives towards him. A few thuds and the crash of broken crockery made him laugh at being missed once again. He rolled, coming up on his feet, and picked up both kids, one under each arm, and started running towards the docks. The kids squeaked, but mercifully stayed silent as he dipped and wove his way through the shadows, pausing here and there to ensure no one was following. He watched as a set of bruisers ran past, and grimaced. He looked around for a different route, and saw a ladder to the roof of the bank nearby.

“I’m going to put you two down now,” he whispered to his charges. Both kids nodded as he knelt and pointed towards the ladder. “Alright, little ones, I want you to make a break for it to that ladder. I’ll meet you up there in a few minutes. We can lay low up there until some of the heat is off of us. Ready?” They nodded, still clutching their pilfered food. The boy was shaking, though from excitement or nerves, Tyr couldn’t tell. The Pandaren girl was grinning, her tail twitching. “Alright, go! I’ll be there in a minute!”

He watched as both kids fumbled their way over and up the ladder, disappearing on to the roof. He sighed and sagged against the building, giving his heart a moment or two to calm down before sauntering boldly into the torchlight as if he’d been on an evening stroll. Several bruisers eyed him suspiciously, but returned his friendly nods as he made his way to a fruit and juice vendor. Though he was loathe to part with more money than necessary, he flipped a few coppers to the gnome and grabbed two flasks of melon juice for his small companions. A loud bang coming from the direction of the auction house gave him the distraction he needed to disappear back into the shadows and up onto the roof of the bank where his two new companions waited. He was amused to see that they had made a small impromptu picnic blanket out of the parcel and the little boy’s vest.

“That looks like a mighty fine feast, there, kids,” he said kindly, shaking the two flasks of juice to catch their attention. “What say you let me share some of it in exchange for something to drink?” The Pandaren snorted, tossing him a roll, which he caught deftly.

“Figure its the least we could do for you, sir,” she said dryly, “After saving our hides back there.” He sat next to them, finally getting a good look at the pair. They were obviously well cared for, judging on the quality of their clothing. The boy was chubby, with a pair of the biggest ears Tyr had ever seen on a human child before. His dirty blonde hair was cropped short, adding emphasis to the unfortunate appendages. He smiled shyly at Tyr, offering him a slice of roast. He accepted it with a smile and turned to the Pandaren, who glared at him. She had bold face markings, and was a cute little thing. Her fur was a rich red color that Tyr had no doubt would be stunning in proper lighting. She was still glaring at him fiercely, but pulled the cork out of the flask he had handed to her and sniffed it suspiciously.

“Melon juice!” She said eagerly, taking a sip. “Oh, we haven’t had melon juice since we last pulled into port at Menethil!” The little boy eagerly tore the cork out of his own flask and took a swig. Tyr smiled benevolently and lifted his wine skin, getting their attention.

“This calls for a toast, lads,” he said gravely. “After all, there’s an odd sort of honor amongst thieves, especially when they help one another out of a sticky situation.” The children looked at each other, but tapped their flasks against his wine skin. He continued somberly. “Here’s to cheating, stealing, fighting and drinking, my friends. If you cheat, may you cheat death. If you steal, may you steal someone’s heart. If you fight, may you fight for a brother, or sister. And if you drink, may you drink with me!” He leaned back and took a sip of his wine skin, watching the children eagerly gulp down their drinks. 

“That sure was a good toast, mister,” the boy said quietly. The cub nodded eagerly, grabbing a potato and nibbling on it. 

“Was it a real pirate’s toast?” She asked eagerly though a mouthful of food. Tyr grinned, snagging a piece of potato for himself. 

“Aye, little one. A pirate’s toast among pirate friends.” He tossed the potato in the air, quickly drawing a dagger and slicing it in the air, catching both pieces in a hand. The kids clapped and giggled, asking him to do it again. He obliged, showing them both knife tricks while they all ate. “I’m Tyr, by the way.”

“Tansy,” the cub said, pointing to herself. “That’s my brother, Rupurt. Nice to meet you, Mister Tyr!” 

“Pleasure is all mine, Miss Tansy, Master Rupurt.” Tyr bowed at the waist towards them, grinning at their giggles. He suddenly realized he was enjoying being around these two rapscallions. “Tell me, you two, do you live here? Or just passing through?”

“Passing through,” Rupurt said, wiping his greasy hands on his pants. “We’re on a ship. We leave in a couple of days.” Tansy nodded after draining her flask and wiping her mouth on the back of her wrist. 

“Aye, we’re on the Bear. We’ll have to head back soon.” She sounded wistful as she said this, glancing back down the docks to an unfamiliar ship. “Our fathers will worry otherwise.” 

“Well, we wouldn’t want that, friends! I’ll help you get back there completely out of sight.” Tyr stood, offering a hand to each child, hauling them to their feet. He bent and picked up the remains of their feast, tying it back into a parcel and handing it to Rupurt. “Let’s get off this roof and I’ll teach you both the art of sneaking.”

\---------

Huise paced the galley, twisting a strand of rope between his paws. They had concluded their business early and made their way back to the Bear. Something had told him to check on the children, and his heart had dropped when he realized they were missing. Varil, not wanting to raise Captain Davenport’s ire, had slipped away to make a search of the docks to try to find the children. The captain had zero tolerance of any mischief from his nephew, though he had disowned Rupurt the moment his identity had been revealed to him. Huise and Varil tried to keep any trouble they had with the boy quiet, to prevent the captain from going after the boy.

He paused, hearing a faint whooshing sound that indicated the presence of an air elemental. He spied the small breeze that he had asked to follow his children and offered it a welcome.

“The children are sssssafe.” It hissed as it wound its way around his head. “They have disssssscovered a friend, who bringsssss them home.”

“A friend?” Huise asked, his brow furrowed. “What sort of friend?” The air elemental chuckled, its breath hissing in his ear. 

“A thief,” it said finally, “But one who lovesssss children.” Huise groaned, scrubbing his face with his hands.

“They would make friends with a thief, wouldn’t they?” He said ruefully, thinking of all the trouble the pair had gotten into in previous port calls. “What is this thief like?”

“A good ssssssoul,” the elemental said after a long pause. “He can be trusssssted.” It's catlike face turned towards his. “Do you wissssh to reward thisssss thief?” Huise sighed at the subtle hint that the elemental deserved its own reward. 

“Yes, I suppose,” he said grumpily, reaching towards his belt purse. He carefully counted out several coins, and wrapped them in a twist of paper. “One last favor, friend? Then I will give you a reward of your own.”

“I will place thissss where he will find it.” The air elemental agreed, whisking out the porthole with its burden. Huise waited a moment before heading back to the stateroom he shared with his life mate and two children. He opened the door and sagged with relief at the sight of his wayward children curled in a ball together, smiles on their sleeping faces. He carefully shut the door and whispered into the night air,

“Thank you, whoever you are.”

\----------

Tyr walked his way back down the docks, his hand shoved deep in his pockets. He had seen his two new friends safely back to their berth, and had plans to turn in himself. A sudden breeze whipped past his cheek, drawing his attention to a few swirling scraps of paper. He squinted; was that a glint of metal he saw in the dust?

He bent over and swept aside the papers, his eye widening when he saw several gold pieces hidden under them. He glanced around, and pocketed the loot casually, sauntering away with satisfaction. It appeared his night had taken a turn for the better after all!


End file.
